Wedding Bells Blues?
by VioletStella
Summary: A reworking of the end of "Wedding Bells?"


A certain someone threw out a plot bunny late last night, actually it was more like early this morning, and this is the result. Takes place at the end of "Wedding Bells?"

Wedding Bells Blues?

"These feet will never dance again," Angela complained.

"Here, let me," Tony offered as he picked up her foot and started massaging.

Suddenly Angela didn't care if she ever danced again or not. If Tony continued massaging her foot, she'd never move from this couch again. She closed her eyes and inwardly sighed. Why couldn't they stay like this forever? Right here on this couch.

Tony continued to caress her foot; round and round moved his deft fingers. Angela was becoming lost in bliss.

"Angela?"

"Hmmmm?" Angela sighed, then shook herself back to the living room instead remaining in that heavenly netherworld she'd just been in. "What?" she asked.

"I said, are you going to see Geoffrey with a G again."

Who? Angela took a few moments to remember who the guy was. "Oh him, no. He's a little...stuffy, I think. Remember what I said about _the right person."_

Tony looked at her, "yeah, I remember."

"I think I'm looking at the right person," she thought.

"You should think about dating, how are you going to find _the right person_ if you don't date."

"Sometimes he just shows up on your doorstep." Angela winced, she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Tony stopped massaging and Angela wanted to kick herself for what she said. Neither one of them said a word. The silence was becoming more than awkward.

"You're chances aren't very good with that method," Tony finally joked.

"Maybe not, but one chance is all I need."

They were quiet again; at a crossroads, each of them too scared to say what they really wanted to say. Dare they explore their relationship even more than it had already been explored today? What if it didn't work? What would the neighbors say if they started a relationship? What if they tried and failed? What would happen to the kids? To Tony's job? What if? What if? What if?

If Mona had been in the room she would have said, "what if you have a great relationship and you're denying yourselves so much by staying apart?"

But she wasn't there. Silence continued to reign as the two of them internally grappled with their faux pas. Angela still hadn't taken her foot off of Tony's knee, which gave the situation a strange appearance. Angela should have realized that her not wanting to take her foot away from its pleasant perch meant something important; but she didn't.

"So..." Tony said.

"So..." Angela replied. "You hungry?"

"After a reception like that?"

"Good point." Of course that also cost them the deflective activity of eating. Very, very tentatively Angela asked, "Tony, do you think you'll ever find _the right person?"_

"Yeah...well...you know...," he shrugged, "who's to know? Ya know?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

They looked at each other again; their eyes filled with desperation. "Say something!" they each seemed to be saying to the other, telepathically.

"I, uh, should probably take my foot back," Angela finally said, very reluctantly. She even more reluctantly moved her foot. There was a bad joke in there somewhere about putting a foot in one's mouth, but she was in no mood to search for it. "It's been a long day, guess it's time to turn in. Good night, Tony." Angela leaned over to pick up her shoes.

"Yeah, you're right," Tony agreed. He stood up and walked over to lock the front door. Angela checked the door near her home office. Tony flicked off the living room light. Angela slowly walked to the staircase. For a day that had contained so much hope and fun; the night brought only sadness. She didn't want to walk upstairs and face her lonely room again.

"Tony, I...," she stared at her shoes, not even certain about what she had planned to say when she said his name.

"We're tired, it's too late at night to discuss anything," he said.

Angela agreed even though her thoughts had strayed more towards actions, not words.

"Weddings make people crazy. We'll both get a good night's sleep and in the morning we'll take the kids out for breakfast. It'll be great. Jonathan and I will get into a contest to see who can eat the most chocolate chip pancakes."

Angela smiled, "sure Tony, sounds good."

"It's a date." He winced, there went another foot in the mouth.

"Tony?" Who were they kidding? They lived like a family. They loved like a family. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck; it's a duck. "Please...do you think...no, let's not think. Kiss me."

Tony could see in her eyes that she was not kidding with that request. "Ange..."

Her eyes went from hope to heartbreak; she turned away, hoping to escape by running up the stairs.

What was he doing? "Stop hesitating!" his mind yelled. "Angela, wait; please," he begged. He leaned down to try and turn her face to him. She was crying. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you cry." He dried her tears. "There's so much to be unsure of with us."

"Is there? Or do you just not want me?"

"Not want you? You're joking, right?"

She stared at him, and he could see that she was serious. "Angela, you're a fantastic woman. I can't imagine any man not wanting you."

She scoffed.

"You're so wonderful."

"Yet alone."

"You've got Jonathan, Sam, your mother and me; that's not alone."

"Good night, Tony," she was tired of the talking, tired of the waiting, tired of it all.

"Angela, we can't go to sleep being angry."

She looked him directly in the eye, "I don't want to go to sleep."

He had a choice to make; embark with Angela on a new relationship, for he knew that if they went to bed together tonight it wasn't going to be a one night stand; or sleep alone, perhaps permanently.

"Are you sure about this, Angela? About us?"

"Yes. Aren't you?"

"I'm sure about you. I'm not sure about the neighborhood and the gossip and how it will affect the kids. Fred and Ginger had a point; I am a housekeeper."

"You're my best friend."

"Do you want to risk that friendship?"

"The best relationships are built on friendship, I couldn't be in a relationship that didn't start with friendship."

Tony touched her had, threading his fingers in with hers. He leaned closer and gently kissed her. Angela threw her shoes on the stairs and threw herself into this kiss like it was the most important kiss of her life, which it could well be.

It was right; they could both feel it in the kiss, which neither wanted to end, so they didn't. They stayed locked in that kiss, exploring the new relationship they were creating. They remained oblivious for a long while, only finishing when they felt it was time to move upstairs.

"I love you," they said at the same time. Then there were smiles; smiles that stayed with them for the rest of their lives.


End file.
